


Lie By Omission

by Aaronna



Series: Those Left Behind [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Companion Piece, Companion piece to Blessed and Cursed, Companion piece to Fight for Life, F/M, Hana is going to protect her prince, Lies, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, introspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:06:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29766303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronna/pseuds/Aaronna
Summary: She knew who their savior was, but she wasn't going to let everyone know. The Prince had a right to live a life away from a father who wanted him dead.
Relationships: Hana (OC)/Zu Len (OC), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Those Left Behind [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076399
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Lie By Omission

Hana felt foolish for not realizing it sooner, but one tends to forget details after the battle dies down. She had been 11 when Prince Zuko was born. Given she was now 24, he would be all of 13 when he joined their doomed camp. A 13-year-old had convinced Commander Lee to move into the valley’s forest. She knew all of this, so why did it take seeing the announcement of the Prince’s death to realize the child that had saved them with blades and flames was Prince Zuko?   
  


She had seen their commander and his tent get pulled underground. She had told the arriving troops that. She never said the prince was dead, so why did they assume he was?

She had seen him being treated from that burn. They had said he was going to live when they loaded him into the wagon heading for the stronghold. There was no way that he had died in transit and the news had already reached the capital and the official announcement sent unless the Fire Lord had planned for the child to die.

She could set the record straight, but she wouldn’t. There was a chance he was still alive, mistaken for someone else. She was not going to make him go back to a father who would send his 13-year-old son to his death. If he wanted to go back, she wouldn’t stop him, but she would never make the child who had saved her and so many others return to a life like that.

Instead, she fled with the rest of the survivors who were able bodied enough to do so. She built a life she never would have gotten without the boy’s help. She even married the man who burned her prince and savior.

Every dawn she prayed to Agni to bless her prince, alive or dead for a year before she heard one of the new members of the camp mention the burned healer who had helped him. From the description, she was sure her prince was still with them, but she never said a word and added a new prayer to keep the boy happy, safe, and loved in his new life.

Soon after, she realized she was to be a mother. She wanted to tell Zu Len about the prince and how she wished to name their child after him, but her husband beat her to the name. He wanted to name the babe Zuko if it was a boy or Zu Lee if it was a girl.

When Agni blessed them with twin boys, the choice of names were obvious. Zuko was born in the dead of night and Lee at first light. They were hers and she swore she would raise them to be as honorable as the men they were named for and that they were loved more than her Prince had been.


End file.
